Your Nervous System on Stage
We all know how it feels to be next to perform. Nervousness affects your whole body and can impact how you sound. So let's talk about what's happening and what you can do about it
Fight-or-flight vs Rest-and-digest
Your autonomic nervous system has two main branches that work together to help you navigate the world. Think of them like reins on a horse, pulling one side or the other to keep you on track. A common reaction to feeling nervous is to try to shut it down. But shaming or judging the response only heightens it. Instead, focus on increasing theuse of the other “rein” - your parasympathetic system. Let’s talk about the two systems first.
The Sympathetic Nervous System is your accelerator. When it kicks in, your heart rate goes up, your breathing quickens, your muscles tense, and blood flow shifts to your large muscle groups. Your pupils dilate, your palms may sweat, and your body prepares for action. This is that "fight or flight" response you've heard about.
What it does for you: Keeps you alert, focused, and ready to respond in the moment.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System is your brake pedal. When this one's running the show, your heart rate slows, your breathing deepens into your belly, your muscles let go of tension, and your body shifts into rest-and-recovery mode. Your digestion improves, your pupils constrict, and everything moves toward calm. This is commonly called “rest-and-digest”.
What it does for you: Keeps you loose, helps you make nuanced musical decisions, and increases fine motor movements
Physical Strategies
Here are tangible ways you can ask your body for more “rest and digest” during or immediately before your performance:
Breathing Techniques
Try this: breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 4, and exhale for 6-8. That longer exhale is the key – it activates the rest and digest response.
Body Positioning
Sitting: Feel your heels on the ground, sit bones on the seat, and a sense of gravity sitting on top of your head. Place your hands on your chest and sigh, letting it drop slightly.
Standing: Feel your heels on the floor, soften your knees, and feel a sense of gravity sitting on top of your head. Place your hands on your chest and sigh, letting it drop slightly.
Sitting or standing up super-duper straight increases the fight-or-flight response. I’m not saying you should perform in a full-on slump. That will put your audience to sleep! But your “sit up straight” doesn’t have to be the most, either.
Grounding and Breathing Combo
Use external sensations to get grounded. Stand with your back to a wall, feet out in front by about a foot, knees soft. Feel your feet on the floor, your back and hips on the wall. Inhale for 4, Exhale for 8.
Sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, place your elbows and forearms on the tops of your thighs. Inhale for 4, exhale for 8.
Practice Under Pressure
The skill of harnessing your nervous system needs to be practiced across various levels of pressure. Musicians often feel that mastery of the music will help with nerves. It can. But mastering the piece and performing while nervous are different skill sets.
This is well-studied in sports. Basketball players must be proficient at taking foul shots and practice them in increasingly pressurized situations so they can rely on their mastery in any situation.
When to Seek Additional Support
While feeling nervous is totally normal, sometimes it crosses a line. If anxiety is consistently keeping you from performing, causing you significant distress, or regularly hindering your performance, it might be time to learn some strategies beyond the physical ones that a physical therapist can offer.
There are great resources out there: Bulletproof Musician (Noa Kageyama's work is gold for performance psychology), MusiCares for mental health support, and therapists who specialize in working with performers. They can help with the psychological and emotional layers that go beyond the physical stuff I'm talking about here.
A Final Thought
Telling yourself to just stop being nervous isn’t it. You have to provide an increase in the opposite response. Dampen fight or flight by encouraging rest and digest.
Abby Halpin is a physical therapist who works with musicians to recover from injury and prepare for the physical capacity needed to perform. Her practice is called Forte Performance and Physical Therapy.
Email: abby@forteperformancept.com
Instagram: @forteperformancept
Phone: 206-201-1793
Disclaimer: This article is solely intended for general information purposes. Nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice for any individual case or situation.
| 
